Saudi Crown Prince: PIF to Establish Five Regional Investment Companies

16 October 2022, Saudi Arabia, Jeddah: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends the opening of the Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia meeting in Riyadh. (dpa)
16 October 2022, Saudi Arabia, Jeddah: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends the opening of the Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia meeting in Riyadh. (dpa)
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Saudi Crown Prince: PIF to Establish Five Regional Investment Companies

16 October 2022, Saudi Arabia, Jeddah: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends the opening of the Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia meeting in Riyadh. (dpa)
16 October 2022, Saudi Arabia, Jeddah: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends the opening of the Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia meeting in Riyadh. (dpa)

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Prime Minister, Chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs and Chairman of the Public Investment Fund, announced on Wednesday that the Fund will establish five companies aimed at investing in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, and Sudan.

The announcement follows the launch of the Saudi Egyptian Investment Company (SEIC), a wholly owned PIF subsidiary, in August 2022. The six companies aim to invest up to a total of SAR 90 billion (USD 24 billion) in opportunities across various key sectors in each market.

The announcement was made on the second day of the 6th Edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII), which is being held in Riyadh, with the participation of leading investors, innovators, and world leaders.

The companies will invest in various key sectors, including but not limited to, infrastructure, real estate development, mining, healthcare, financial services, food and agriculture, manufacturing, telecoms, and technology, among other strategic sectors and industries in each country.

The establishment of the five new companies will contribute to an increase in regional investment opportunities for PIF’s portfolio companies and Saudi Arabia’s private sector, bolstering attractive financial returns over the long term, and creating more avenues for strategic economic collaboration with the private sector in the target countries as well as enabling the Saudi private sector.

These investments by PIF align with the Fund’s strategy, which includes seeking new investment opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa to build lasting strategic economic partnerships and achieve sustainable returns, grow PIF’s Assets Under Management, and diversify Saudi Arabia’s sources of revenue, while underscoring the objectives of Vision 2030.



Oil Edges Up ahead of US Fed Rate Decision, 2025 Outlook

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
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Oil Edges Up ahead of US Fed Rate Decision, 2025 Outlook

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)

Oil edged up on Wednesday as a drop in US crude inventories offered some support, although investors stayed cautious ahead of a potential interest rate cut by the US Federal Reserve and its projections for 2025.

Brent futures rose 53 cents, or 0.7%, to $73.72 a barrel at 1436 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude climbed 54 cents, or 0.8%, to $70.62.

The Fed is expected to cut rates by a quarter point, but to signal a cautious approach to loosening monetary policy next year.

"A quarter-point cut itself is unlikely to shake markets much. Investors may focus more on hints and clues on how likely a January pause is, as well as on how many rate cuts policymakers are contemplating throughout 2025," said Charalampos Pissouros, senior investment analyst at brokerage XM, Reuters reported.

The US central bank will release its policy statement at 2 p.m. ET (1900 GMT), followed by remarks from Chair Jerome Powell.

Lower rates decrease borrowing costs, which can boost economic growth and demand for oil.

"Oil prices ought to see more of a reaction to the crude inventory draw seen in the API data overnight... however, such is the diverting power of central bank rate decisions that investors in all of the trading mediums are taking a very light touch to proceedings" said John Evans, analyst with oil broker PVM.

In the US, American Petroleum Institute data on Tuesday showed that crude stocks fell by 4.69 million barrels in the week ended Dec. 13, a source said. Gasoline inventories rose by 2.45 million barrels, and distillate stocks rose by 744,000 barrels, according to the source.

Analysts projected US energy firms pulled about 1.6 million barrels of crude from storage during the week ended Dec. 13, according to a Reuters poll on Tuesday.

The US Energy Information Administration will release its oil storage data on Wednesday.

"Trade war fears and uncertainty on how aggressively the US Fed will cut interest rates next year is likely capping the upside for now," UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said.